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EXHIBITION ROUND-UP City Art Centre, Edinburgh, various end dates .00
The City Art Centre once again delves into its own art collection, mixing the old with the new, to produce an eclectic exhibition that ranges from the twee and musty to the political and humourous. A lot of the exhibits, except the weaving section, have been seen many times before in different contexts but most are good enough to warrant renewed interest and pleasure.
The centre is using the exhibition to show off its Recent Acquisitions such as Chad McCail, Jonathan Owen and Kate Gray, but unfortunately no light sabres or Darth Vader masks. It is hoping that these new works will help to illuminate the climate and talent of contemporary Scottish art in the future. But such is the frequent circulation of these works that they already seem like the stalwarts of the Scottish art scene, especially when the older work of Elizabeth Blackadder sits complacently in the middle of them. Chad McCail’s robotic figures journeying through life’s cycles are as familiar as Callum lnnes’ ghostly canvases and Kate Gray’s big pants in a field. But familiarity doesn’t breed contempt in this case, rather a renewed interest and hope for current Scottish artists.
Toil: Images of Rural and Urban Working Life celebrates the life and work of ordinary Scottish people. From Thomas Begbie’s emotive black and white photograph of washerwomen on Calton Hill to Kate Downie’s study of the coal yards at Haymarket, there is a real sense of a lost age when industry at least formed a society and comradeship for these people to belong to.
The work of Peter Howson and Ken Currie in particular adroitly captures the nature of the men who laboured hard and long. There is both defiance and hardship etched on the faces of these figures and it is brilliantly studied and executed work. Joan Eardley’s paintings and drawings
INS lAl .l AT ION MARTIN BOYCE
Tramway, Glasgow, until Sun 19 Jan
The moment you enter Tramway's main gallery. Martin Boyce's installation
dorng not much at all in places you aren't supposed to be. The space is (li‘JIthl by mesh fencing and lit by noon trees. On the floor are benches and
Installation view
At first. all is suggestive. as it the scene has been culled from collective .... memory a basic template for an urban park ‘.‘.’£llllllg patiently to serve as the backdrop to a yiewer-defined narrative. lvloye through the space. though. and evokes a thousand teenage memories of Irttle confusions appear: some of the benches are incomplete. nothing is in giiite the right place. the prevailing aesthetic is similarly Jarring. ‘Nllll Boyce drawing on modernist design history. bins. skexaring the usual balance of form and
Clockwise: Costume by Kei Ito;
Gathering Stones by Robert McGregor; Mission 2001 by Kate Gray
hang beside this work depicting the deprived children of Glasgow. You just have to feel sorry for the little boy Philip who was painted under the title of Philip the Fat Boy - he was still poor.
Changing tack completely is Weaving Stories featuring weaving that utilises everything from wood to nylon and plastic. Sarah Crawford experiments with colour and construction to produce crazy bags made from nylon and PVC tubing. They complement the work of Nora Fok who applies mathematical principles to her weaving structures, hence the abacus neck ruffle and the mono helix jewellery. Fok’s imagination is definitely translated through her work. Fiona Mathison’s transparent and reflective Wall of Uncertainty is another interesting take on weaving. More traditionally Valerie Pragnell’s Willow Wood is a nice experience to wander through.
This is an interesting exhibition that happens to be free, so it’s worth a look. (Isabella Weir)
function tound ill these (3‘.'(}I'\,'{l£t\ objects. Such incorisrstencres suggest some .itopra under construction o". for that matter. an abandoned drstopia. Whichever. it 4s nard to shake t"e ‘eel "g that something l‘as happened Here :2' might yet happen.
Ihese two strands. the open and prescriptive. come together as the static installation shitts into time-based territory. ’Ihe bright u'xhrte light cast b1. the tree sculptures drms. deizberatery haunting music strikes up. and a ‘.'.'all text slowly reveals itself. 'lhrs piace is dreaming.‘ it says. ‘.'~.r:th a nod III the direction of John t:l_ Ihe text makes explicit the dreamy. som'iamlxilant atmosphere Boyce has creator). but paradoxically denies the \.'ie\.'.rer their private trip down memory lane: it the place is dreaming. \IESIIOIS to the galier'i, are both characters in an unto’rlzrig narrative. and. through their respor‘se to the place. co authors of that narratrt'e.
Ihis powerful call-and response g:\.es Our love rs I rke the Flow. ers. {fie Ha'rr. the Sea and flit) l loo/s a peculiar autonomy. as it it might change its form of its own accord. As such. it is an enthralling experience. rJack Mottram.
Artbeat
News from the world of art
SUBMISSIONS ARE SOUGHT for the Alastair Salvensen Art Scholarship 2003. The award is open to painters living and working in Scotland, who have trained at one of the four main Scottish art colleges, aged between 25—35 years old, and who have already made the transition from college to outside working environment. Up for grabs is a cash prize of £10,000, with the winner required to use the scholarship to travel between March and October 2003. There is also the added bonus of a solo exhibition in the Royal Scottish Academy when the galleries are re-opened. Application forms are available from the Royal Scottish Academy, 17 Waterloo Place, Edinburgh, EH1 38G (mark envelopes Salvesen Scholarship) or phone 0131 558 7097. Deadline for applications is Wednesday 8 January 2003.
Work by NWSP participant Kevin Reid
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AT THE GLASGOW BUDDHIST Centre on Sauchiehall Street, Rodger Parker has created a ‘photocarpet’ in response to the September 11 tragedy. Parker began his project on Armistice Day, taking a photograph in the same location in Glasgow every day for a year. The photocarpet will be on show at the centre until Friday 20 December. For more information call 0141 333 0524.
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